Although the title of Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short story "In a Grove" may not be familiar, the story just might be. In 1922, Sincho magazine published "In a Grove" as a kind of ancient Japanese detective novel, with the mystery at the center of the narrative presented in the form of testimony from various witnesses. Nearly thirty years later, a film would be adapted from Akutagawa's story and would receive the title of an earlier and completely independent story by the author: "Rashomon". Although the film's plot is taken directly from "In a Grove", it is from Akutagawa's "Rashomon" that the framing device of the stories told under a large city gate is derived. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay The story structure in which the same event is interpreted through the eyes of various witnesses offering their own slightly different perspectives has been around since almost becoming something of a subgenre in itself. However, at the time of Akutagawa's story, the concept of a narrative without a single objective truth was still exceptional enough to be considered confusing by many editors and, later, producers. “In a Grove” prefigures postmodern fiction with its fragmented narrative and multiple possibilities for objective truth obtained through subjective analysis of facts. The story thus places Akutagawa well ahead of his modernist peers working at the same time in Western literature. However, while “In a Grove” looks far into the future manifesting a 21st century sensibility regarding the potential for absolute truths, the writer also looked to the past for inspiration. American writer Ambrose Bierce's 1907 story, "The Moonlight Road," was one with which Akutagawa was familiar, and elements of the older tale reveal this familiarity. “The Moonlight Road” presents the possibility of discovering the truth about the murder of a woman from the testimony of three narrators: the son of the dead woman, a man who could be her husband and, through a medium , the spirit of the dead woman herself. Since its initial publication and subsequent film adaptation by renowned Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, the influence of “In a Grove” has extended far beyond its readership. Although it is obviously not the first work of fiction to attempt to recount the same event from multiple perspectives, its narrative structure and thematic conceit have undoubtedly transformed "In a Grove" into one of the most popular standard plots. most used in Hollywood. Point of view and wrong! are entirely constructed in the form of “In a Grove”. In fact, Wrong! even takes the form of testimony in a police investigation. Unlike Kurosawa's interpretation in Rashomon, however, the mystery is entirely solved, but the big bad behind it all turns out to be a character who plays into the testimony of each of the recalled witnesses, but is not one witnesses. While these two examples and many others take "In a Grove" as the underlying storyline template to tell their entire narrative, many other films take Akutagawa's concept more as a reference that can be identified with a single sequence. For example, Gigi's song "I Remember it Well" and the entire framing of the dual narrative of the song "Summer Loving" in the film Grease owe a debt to "In a Grove." Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom article from our expert writers now.Get a Custom EssayThe List of TV Shows That Didn't Make an Episode.